NFC East roundup

[liny195]

, 9/20: Cowboys, Eagles, Redskins notes After two weeks, the NFC East is still wide open; the New York Giants are the division’s only winless team, but the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Washington are all 1-1. For the Giants’ three divisional rivals, it’s now time to try to separate from the pack. This makes Week 3 just as critical for those teams as it is for the 0-2 Giants, despite the rest of the NFC East being far less desperate than New York. Here are the most newsworthy notes around the division for this week.Philadelphia Eagles: The big news out of Philadelphia this week is that quarterback Carson Wentz has been cleared for contact and will start on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. The Eagles had been treading lightly with Wentz following tearing his ACL and LCL last December, but the time has come for him to take over for Nick Foles, the reigning Super Bowl MVP. Bleeding Green Nation’s Brandon Lee Gowton is certainly excited, exclaiming “THE GOAT IS BACK,” when reporting the news earlier this week. And Alexis Chassen has all the need-to-know takeaways from Wentz’s first press conference on Wednesday.Wentz, though, won’t have the services of wide receiver Mike Wallace on Sunday. Wallace suffered a broken fibula in Week 2, requiring surgery , reports Gowton. In response, the Eagles brought back a familiar face: Receiver Jordan Matthews, who had 73 receptions for 804 yards and three scores with Wentz throwing to him in 2016.Dallas Cowboys: Have the Cowboys done enough in just a week to feel confident in their offense? Blogging the Boys’ Tom Ryle seems to think so after Dallas’ 20-13 win over the Giants on Sunday night. He cites the improvements along the offensive line and a lack of Dak Prescott turnovers as two positive developments, but concedes the team isn’t doing enough to get Ezekiel Elliott involved and notes that the lack of actual receptions by actual wide receivers is still a problem.One thing that could help that up-and-down Dallas offense in the near-term is the schedule. RJ Ochoa points out that the Cowboys “have the most favorable upcoming three weeks of any NFL team,” with the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions and Houston Texans all on the slate ahead. The trio are a combined 0-6, and a clean sweep could set the Cowboys up for a No. 1 spot in the NFC East.Washington: More injuries are plaguing the offensive side of the ball in Washington. The team placed running back Rob Kelley on injured reserve with a toe injury that may require surgery, according to Hogs Haven’s Scott Jennings. They also boosted an injury-ravaged receiving corps this week, signing Breshad Perriman and Michael Floyd.So, how to describe Washington’s team this season? And where is criticism founded and where is it just a result of fan frustration? Hogs Haven’s Mark Tyler says to look to the stats and numbers to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of Washington’s players, in order to determine whether the criticism is warranted or overblown. Saquon Barkley needed one play to justify the hype.After banging and grinding for small gains much of the game, the No. 2 overall draft pick wowed New York Giants' fans in his NFL debut with a spectacular 68-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown run in a 20-15 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.The Penn State product finished with a game-high 106 yards rushing, caught two passes for 22 yards and showed there was a good reason why he was the most-hyped rookie to join the franchise since Lawrence Taylor started a Hall of Fame career in 1981."That's why we drafted that young man," Giants coach Pat Shurmur said after the Jaguars spoiled his coaching debut with New York.Defensive end Calais Campbell , one of six Pro Bowlers on a Jaguars defense that was ranked No. 2 overall last season, was impressed with Barkley after the first few plays of the game, a run for zero and another for minus-3."The first run and the first couple of times I tackled him, I said, this kid has something," Campbell said. "Obviously, you see it on tape, but we didn't get to watch a lot of tape on him. It's his college tape. Coming into the NFL against a team like ours, and making some of the plays he made, that kid's going to be special."Campbell said he traded jerseys with Barkley after the game."I was like, "OK, if he can stay healthy, he might one day be a Hall of Famer," Campbell said.The touchdown run was impressive. Barkley took a handoff from Eli Manning inside, cut it to the outside , stepped out of a tackle attempt and ran down the right sideline, getting a great block from receiver Sterling Shepard."It was amazing; it was a great feeling, but it was a feeling that came and went," Barkley said. "One touchdown is not going to win the game, and that touchdown didn't win the game this week, but to get in there, it was a dream come true to find the end zone. I did keep the ball, but it was just like 'Move on, next play,' and find a way to get in there again."For most of the game, the Jaguars held Barkley in check . Eleven of his 18 carries were for 3 yards or less."Yeah, obviously, you wish that they were all 75- and 80-yard runs, but it wasn't like that in college and I didn't expect it to be like that in the NFL," the 21-year-old said. "You have to take what they give you. It's kind of like playing chess: When you get your opportunity , you have to execute."Barkley said there was one play where he realized that NFL is going to be a lot different than college. He made a player miss on a run, broke outside and was tackled by free safety Tashaun Gipson Sr."In college, that was a touchdown," Barkley said. "It was a great play by him."It just reminded Barkley that big plays are special."Today, we didn't pop one until like the fourth quarter or end of the third, so you just have to continue to stay with it," he said. "That's what I kept saying, the offensive line and also to just stay with it, something is going to pop, and when they give us that chance, we have to make them pay for it."